Ukraine defeated Iceland to advance to the playoffs
On November 17, 2025, the Ukraine national team defeated Iceland 2-0 to secure second place in Group D. This was reported by Zamin.uz.
With this result, Ukraine advanced to the playoff stage of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. From the very first minutes of the match, the Ukrainian team controlled the ball and intensified attacks through the wings.
Tsygankov and Zubkov were active, supported by Mykolenko. In the 24th minute, Tsygankov took a powerful shot from long range, but the ball hit the crossbar and bounced back.
The Icelandic team launched rare attacks through Gudmundsson and Gudjonsen, but the Ukrainian defenders and goalkeeper Trubin easily repelled their shots. No goals were scored in the first half, although both teams had chances to score.
In the second half, Ukraine introduced Yaremchuk, Shaparenko, and Hutsulyak from the bench to strengthen the attack. As the hosts increased pressure, Iceland’s goalkeeper Olafsson saved his team several times.
In the 68th minute, Mykolenko took a powerful shot near the corner, but Olafsson deflected the ball out for a corner kick. Decisive moments occurred in the final minutes of the game.
In the 83rd minute, a corner kick taken by Tsygankov was delivered by Hutsulyak to the far post. Zubkov headed the ball into the net.
During added time, Ukraine launched a quick counterattack. Shaparenko set up Hutsulyak in a one-on-one situation, and the player sent the ball into the near corner of the goal after a defender’s deflection.
With this victory, the Ukrainian team collected 10 points, overtook Iceland, and advanced to the playoff stage.
